Show shares Judy Garland's full, imperfect life

Michael Cumpsty and Tracie Bennett in the acclaimed production of “End of the Rainbow” (Broadway) by Peter Quilter, directed by Terry Johnson. CRAIG SCHWARTZ

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Tracie Bennett in “End of the Rainbow,” written by Peter Quilter and directed by Terry Johnson. “End of the Rainbow” opens at the Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre March 20 and performances continue through April 21, 2013. CRAIG SCHWARTZ

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Tracie Bennett in "End of the Rainbow." She plays Judy Garland. “I approached this in the same way that I'd approach anything else, really,” said the vivacious British-born actress, 51, who brings her portrayal to the Ahmanson Theatre through April 21. CRAIG SCHWARTZ

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Tracie Bennett in “End of the Rainbow,” written by Peter Quilter and directed by Terry Johnson. The most attractive aspect of the role for Bennett is its meatiness. Garland's mix of professional success and personal turmoil is irresistible to an ambitious performer, Bennett said. And playwright Peter Quilter has given her a lot to work with. CRAIG SCHWARTZ

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Tracie Bennett as Judy Garland in “End of the Rainbow." The story takes place in December 1968, when Garland was attempting yet another career comeback with a five-week club date in London's famous Talk of the Town nightclub. CRAIG SCHWARTZ

Michael Cumpsty and Tracie Bennett in the acclaimed production of “End of the Rainbow” (Broadway) by Peter Quilter, directed by Terry Johnson. CRAIG SCHWARTZ

'End of the Rainbow'

Where: Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles

When: Previews end Tuesday. Regular performances Wednesday through April 21. Tuesdays through Fridays at 8 p.m.; Saturdays at 2 and 8 p.m.; Sundays at 1 and 6:30 p.m. Added 2 p.m. performances on April 4 and April 18. No 6:30 p.m. performance on March 24, April 7 and April 21.

Tracie Bennett, who attracted kudos and admiring New York audiences as Judy Garland in the bio-play "End of the Rainbow" last year, said she enjoyed an advantage over many performers when she landed the role: she wasn't a big fan of the Golden Age of Hollywood superstar.

"I approached this in the same way that I'd approach anything else, really," said the vivacious British-born actress, 51, who brings her portrayal to the Ahmanson Theatre through April 21. (Previews began Tuesday.) Though she respected Garland's career achievements, Bennett said, "I've never been a major fanatic of hers. Which is lucky in a way because I think the pressure would have made things much harder, really."

The most attractive aspect of the role for Bennett is its meatiness. Garland's mix of professional success and personal turmoil is irresistible to an ambitious performer, Bennett said. And playwright Peter Quilter has given her a lot to work with.

"I went for the woman first and what was in the writing – what it was saying between the lines," Bennett said. "I had to really layer it; I wanted her to come out as a human being. She had to have an inside as well as an outside."

"End of the Rainbow" debuted in Sydney Australia, in 2005. Bennett joined the show in February 2010 for the first London production, receiving an Olivier Award nomination. She reprised her role on Broadway in 2012 to similar acclaim. In addition to a Tony Award nomination for best leading actress in a play, she won Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk awards.

The story takes place in December 1968, when Garland was attempting yet another career comeback with a five-week club date in London's famous Talk of the Town nightclub.

After years of substance abuse and financial difficulties, Garland is in rough shape. She checks into a London hotel suite and hits the pills and booze immediately, coaxing her manager and future husband, Mickey Deans, and her pianist, Anthony, to act as enablers.

"End of the Rainbow" is set "literally in the final few months of her life," Bennett said. (Garland died on June 22, 1969.) "She's in this hotel room and she's full of terror and her voice is going. She is seriously ill; her organs are shot."

But the play is not irredeemably black in tone.

"Yes, it's a cautionary tale about the price of fame and what it can do to a person," Bennett said. "But she still has her sense of humor. She makes light of things."

'Everybody knew she abused drugs'

Though she wasn't a Garland worshipper, Bennett, a veteran performer with three decades of stage, TV and film credits, knew that many who would see the show were huge fans. But from the beginning, she decided to opt for good performance decisions over verisimilitude.

"I'm not an impersonator; I'm an actor," she said. "I didn't even start working on the songs until very late (in the rehearsal process)."

Bennett wasn't completely cavalier, however.

"I had the CD of one of her (Talk of the Town) concerts. I studied it. Some of the songs she performed better than others."

It was tricky to find the right balance of consummate professionalism and late-career fatigue, Bennett said. "We had to figure out how good to be and how cracked and imperfect to be. So I do a mixture of both. I want to show a great talent, even if it was in decline."

The music was selected to reflect different stages of Garland's career.

"In the beginning, you have the elegant Judy singing 'Just in Time' and other songs. She's very good, looking at her audience, connecting with them, loving just being there. Then you get a later, nostalgic Judy: 'Bells Are Ringing,' 'You Made Me Love You.' Then you get the very sad Judy singing 'The Man That Got Away.'"

Bennett benefitted from talking to people who had seen Garland during her final London gig, including some who were close to her.

"I know (former BBC chairman) Michael Grade. His uncle was (famous impresario) Bernard Delfont, who had booked Judy for her London appearances. He told me a lot of stories about her."

Her sources confirmed the sordid personal details of "End of the Rainbow."

"People saw Mickey giving her Ritalin, though he claimed he didn't know the depth of her addiction. I think everybody knew she abused drugs, but in those days they didn't realize how dangerous they could be."

"I think she was happy. She didn't feel well, but she was looking forward to working," Bennett said. "She had the flu when she came to England and it didn't go away. It's possible she accidentally (overdosed) – woke up in the middle of the night and took some pills without realizing she had already taken some before going to bed."

Bennett thinks Garland's brand of troubled stardom was unique for the time, though later repeated by others: a combination of love for her audience, abuse and exploitation by others, and perseverance over challenges that would kill most people.

"I think that's part of why she was loved in the gay community," Bennett said. "She was tortured and tormented and ridiculed, but she always got up and dusted herself off. She hated her gift sometimes because it controlled her. But at the same time, she loved her audience; she genuinely adored her fans. She gave her all for them, and they loved her because they could sense that devotion."

Bennett sighed and laughed as she contemplated the full plate she tackles nightly. "It's a fascinating combination, isn't it?"

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